Puryear cites Jack Kirby, co-creator of “The Fantastic Four;” science fiction novelist Octavia Butler; and one other iconic writer among those who inspire his work. “Toni Morrison. I love the way she writes…the emotion with which she writes. ‘Beloved’ is a book that has the magical realism of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book. With ‘Beloved,’ she is taking ordinary life and making it magical.”

Try out your interest in comics by downloading a copy of “Concrete Park” on the website, and learn more about the characters, the story and the team that is proving the market for diverse stories in science fiction.